Valko Chervenkov

Valko Chervenkov (6 September 1900-21 October 1980) was General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party from 2 July 1949 to 4 March 1954, succeeding Georgi Dimitrov and preceding Todor Zhivkov. He also served as Prime Minister of Bulgaria from 23 January 1950 to 18 April 1956, succeeding Vasil Kolarov and preceding Anton Yugov.

Biography
Valko Chervenkov was born in Slatiza, Tsardom of Bulgaria on 6 September 1900, and he became a Comintern agent and an instructor after after attending the Marx-Engels Institute in Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. Chervenkov worked for the Bulgarian section of the Soviet broadcast service during World War II, and he returned to Bulgaira in 1946. In 1949, his good connections inside and outside ensured his rise to the head of the Bulgarian Communist Party and the state. He was nicknamed "Little Stalin" for his adoration of the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, and he set about purging the party of moderate elements, expelling almost 100,000 people. He nationalized industries and agriculture and expelled around 150,000 ethnic Turks, ostensibly for their resistance to his policies. His overwhelming domination in state and party came under fire after the death of Stalin in 1953, and Todor Zhivkov replaced him as general secretary in 1954. In 1956, Zhivkov dismissed Chervenkov from the office of prime minister, and he was relieved of all offices in 1961 and expelled from the party in 1962. He died in Sofia in 1980 at the age of 80.